The message is that he's waiting to see how Bath manage to recruit for next season. If we can get a couple of notable signings then that will serve as a signal to Barkley that the club is ambitious and is going somewhere.
The Berne signing shouldn't be seen as a replacement for Barkley, as the offer's been on the table since December, way before Barkley started deciding what he was going to do.
It really comes down to what position Barkley wants to play (apparently in terms of money, he wants to be on a par with Grewcock, our highest paid player, which is reasonable). He never used to like playing at 12 when Connolly started him there, and always favoured 10. We've signed Berne and Eliota Fuimaono, who are both natural 12s, which would mean that 10 would be between Barkley, Dunne and Malone (no contest). If he goes to Sale, he'd be playing 12 all the time, which would increase his England chances. It depends on whether he thinks he can be a better 10 than Hodgson and get in the England team that way.
After spending the last three years basically just kicking and barely getting the ball in his hands, you can understand why Barkley would look at a team like Sale and be interested. But the improvement in Bath's approach to the game has come on leaps and bounds since Ashton came back, and they will only improve next season when he's got a close-season to recruit and train the way he wants.
It's a big decision for Barkley. Missing out on Europe through the Powergen Cup may just cost us.
